Starz has started casting the "Spartacus" prequel, whose subtitle will be "Gods of the Arena," says The Hollywood Reporter.

Dustin Clare ("Underbelly," "Satisfaction") will play the lead role of Gannicus, the champion gladiator in the House of Batiatus before Spartacus came along.

"Spartacus" star Andy Whitfield will make a brief appearance in the prequel.

Jaime Murray ("Dexter) will play a Capua social climber and Marisa Ramirez ("General Hospital") is playing a slave girl.

In the prequel, Batiatus (John Hannah) is not yet the head of his family or of the gladiator training school. Gannicus is the lead gladiator in the Ludus, but the House of Batiatus hasn't earned social respect or the right for its gladiators to fight in championship bouts. Gannicus struggles to turn around the House's luck.

Filming on "Gods of the Arena" starts next month and Season Two of "Spartacus: Blood and Sand" begins production immediately after "Arena" wraps.

Nick Spencer and CAFU are bringing the Thunder this Fall at DC Comics.

Now Co-Publisher Dan Didio first mentioned his love for the T.H.U.N.D.E.R. Agents to Newsarama back in 2003. In the summer of 2009, he announced that they'd be coming to the DCU, and again here at Newsarama last fall, mentioned they'd come this summer. Now DCU Blog The Source announced this morning the creative team that will bring this UN sponsored team of heroes into their new home.

Writer Nick Spencer and artist CAFU will take the lead story in the new ongoing, with an as-yet-unannounced backup Co-Feature accompanying. For the new series, the team of heroes will be a covert ops squad working for the United Nations. Their powers are a threat not just to their enemies, but also to themselves. It will also feature all-new characters "brought in to take on the mantle of the original Agents" according to the release.

July 19, 2010, Runnemede, NJ - The original warrior of Mars returns! Dynamite is proud to announce the October release of Warlord of Mars, an enhancement to the classic story Princess of Mars! If you thought you knew Princess of Mars before, think again! We are so proud and excited about this book, that we are offering the first FULL issue for the introductory price of just $1.00!

Princess of Mars is an Edgar Rice Burroughs science fiction novel, the first of his famous series, which initially began publication in serialized form within the pages of All-Story Magazine in February 1912. It is also Burroughs' first novel, predating his Tarzan stories. Full of swordplay and daring feats, the story is considered a classic example of 20th century pulp fiction. This series is written by Arvid Nelson and is illustrated by Stephen (Avengers/Invaders) Sadowski and Lui Antonio, and features covers by Alex Ross, Joe Jusko, Lucio Parillo, and J. Scott Campbell!

"We're trying to stay as true to the spirit of the originals as possible," says writer Arvid Nelson. "The novels are told as the "memoirs" of John Carter, the main character, and the comics will be told the same way. I think Mars is going to be something really special. We're doing this adaptation the right way, and I'm so excited for people to read it!"

"This is a project that we've been working on for quite a bit," says Dynamite Entertainment President Nick Barrucci. "We plan to capture all the grit and action of the original, while expanding the story with brand-new elements, exploring the back story and earlier events of this classic tale! To allow the series to be accessible to fans old and new, we are offering the first issue at the Introductory Price of $1.00 for the full ENTIRE 32 page comic, as well as dedicating both of the Dynamite front gate folds of the October shipping Previews Magazine to our launch. Get on board for the biggest comic book launch in October!"

Eva Mendes will not be returning for the Ghost Rider sequel (tentatively titled Ghost Rider: Spirit of Vengeance), the actress confirmed to SHH at yesterday's junket for her upcoming film, The Other Guys.

Mendes appeared in the first Ghost Rider film as Roxanne, the childhood sweetheart of Nicolas Cage's Johnny Blaze.

"No, unfortunately," was the actress' only comment when asked about whether or not she'd be back for the recently-announced sequel, set to again star Cage with the new director team of Neveldine/Taylor.

Producer Roy Lee did some talking about Monsterpocalypse, the film adaptation of the board game (makes you shudder, doesn't it?) which concerns giant monsters attacking Earth.

Lee tells /Film that writer John August is working on the script and game creator Matt Wilson is on board as a consultant.

The plot apparently concerns a horde of gargantuan monsters who pummel the human race. The humans fight back, driving the monsters into hiding. While we wait for these creatures to counter-attack, the humans build giant robots. A robots and monster melee ensues.

The end.

Visual effects designer Ken Ralston has been called in to design the robots and creatures. His credits include the Star Wars trilogy, Dragonslayer and more.

We may see the film hit the screen in 2012...the same time Legendary brings us their reboot of the Godzilla franchise.

Great news for those who have read, and enjoyed, Warren Fahy's "Fragment" (which I'm currently halfway through, at the time of this writing).

The Green Zone and United 93's Lloyd Levin will produce the big screen adaptation. Fahy himself will pen the script. The author is also at work on a sequel to the novel.

The story tells of an island discovered by scientists filming a reality television show. Unfortunately, they can't touch down on the island's shores without being slaughtered by its inhabitants - creatures that have evolved for billions of years without the influence of any outside species.

Naturally, the government gets involved, fearing that if these creatures get off the island, they would eradicate mankind. It's a terrific read and as the critical blurbs on the front and back cover say, it's very reminiscent of "Jurassic Park." But it definitely takes on a life of its own.

The gang at MTV reported back from their trip to Atlanta where they spoke to the team behind The Walking Dead. You get creator Robert Kirkman, zombies in action, director Frank Darabont and more! Click here to see the video!

Yet another notable casting addition to the ever-expanding cast of AMC's The Walking Dead.

Actor Norman Reedus (The Boondock Saints) has confirmed on various instances via his Twitter account the last two weeks that he'll be appearing on the show, based on the comic book series by Robert Kirkman.

No details have been revealed as to who he will play or which episode he'll debut in.

Shock-worthy? We're not sure yet, but we've got our eye on Hansel and Gretel in 3D, a live-action take - produced by Michael Bay - on the Grimm Brothers fairy tale. It could be dark, or it could be complete kiddie fare.

In addition to the infamous witch in the gingerbread house, the film showcases the legendary creatures of German mythology. These Teutonic beings will be designed by Joseph C. Pepe, the lead character designer from Avatar.

The movie is being produced by The Institute and Kalliope Films. The Institute was co-founded by Michael Bay and Scott Gardenhour.

The movie is scheduled for a spring 2011 shoot on location in Germany. Scott Gardenhour and Kira Madallo Sesay are the producers on the film.

FilmTotaal.nl has posted this new photo of Lindsay Lohan in Robert Rodriguez and Ethan Maniquis' Machete, hitting theaters on September 3. Lohan stars alongside Danny Trejo, Jessica Alba, Robert De Niro, Michelle Rodriguez, Cheech Marin, Jeff Fahey, Don Johnson and Steven Seagal in the action film.

Machete is based on the "fake" trailer in Rodriguez's 2007 Grindhouse. The feature version of the trailer finds Machete (Trejo) a renegade former Mexican Federale, roaming the streets of Texas after a shakedown from drug lord Torrez (Seagal). Reluctantly, Machete takes an offer from spin doctor Benz (Fahey) to assassinate McLaughlin (De Niro) a corrupt Senator. Double crossed and on the run Machete braves the odds with the help of Luz (Michelle Rodriguez), a saucy taco slinger, Padre (Marin) his "holy" brother, and April (Lindsay Lohan) a socialite with a penchant for guns. All while being tracked by Sartana (Alba), a sexy ICE agent with a special interest in the blade slinger.

Now that Kevin Bacon has been confirmed as the villain in X-Men: First Class, speculation has begun as to what mutant the Baconator will play. Mister Sinister and Shadow King are names that have been thrown around online lately, but no official announcement has been disclosed. Forces of Geek, however, is claiming that he'll play supervillain Sebastian Shaw.

Sebastian Hiram Shaw is the leader of the Hellfire Club, a secret society of X-Men adversaries. He possesses the ability to absorb kinetic energy around him and turn it into brute strength. For more on Shaw check out IGN's list of the Top 100 Comic Book Villains of All Time, where he's ranked at #55.

Bacon as Shaw is still just a rumor, and hopefully we will hear an official announcement during Comic-Con this week. Confirmed cast members for the reboot are James McAvoy, Michael Fassbender, Jennifer Lawrence, Alice Eve, Nicholas Hoult, Caleb Landry Jones and Lucas Till. X-Men: First Class will kickoff next year's summer blockbuster season on June 3, 2011.